It took a high-scoring battle, but the USC Trojans can exhale. They came out on top in a 93-86 victory against the Wichita State Shockers on Sunday night at the Tahoe Blue Event Center, improving to 2-0 on the young season.
An electric performance out of the backcourt from Rodney Rice and Alijah Arenas led the way, with the duo combining for 62 points and 10 assists. Both Rice and Arenas set career-highs in scoring, pouring in 32 and 30 points, respectively.
Rice added nine assists and five rebounds, shooting 7-of-17 from the field. Arenas added four rebounds and an assist, shooting 9-of-18. Their strong performances helped USC wipe away an 11-point Wichita State advantage in the first half.
The Shockers got off to a strong start courtesy of some red-hot shooting from beyond the arc. The squad nailed seven of its first 12 attempts from deep, going in front 41-30 with 3:51 remaining in the opening half. However, a 13-4 run led by Rice and Arenas allowed the Trojans to cut the deficit to 45-43 heading into the locker room.
Both sides continued to trade buckets in the second half as neither managed to pull away for good. Wichita State continued to apply pressure, led by guard Michael Gray Jr. Gray finished the contest with a team-high 18 points, shooting 5-of-8 from three-point range. He shot a perfect 3-of-3 from distance in the first half.
The Trojans finally looked as if they had found their chance to pull away late after a two-point jumper from Rice made it 86-80 with 1:52 remaining. The Shockers had an answer, using a steal from center William Burg and a layup from guard Jordan Frison to cut the deficit down to 86-83 with 58.1 seconds left. Berg's free throw on the possession prior had made it 86-81.
Both Rice and Arenas came through with a pair of clutch free throws throughout the final minute, helping USC prevent the lead from slipping away in the final moments. Wichita State failed to connect on three separate three-point attempts in the final 38 seconds as its jump shooting finally went cold.
Three-point shooting was an area of significant struggle throughout the game for the Trojans as they nailed just two shots on 14 attempts. Only one came in each half, allowing the Shockers to keep pace at their 47.4% success rate.
Other key contributors for USC included Adonis and Darius Ratliff, who took a step back on the offensive end compared to their collegiate debuts but delivered in other ways. Adonis recorded the first double-double of his career, tallying 10 points and 13 rebounds despite shooting just 3-of-9. Darius shot 3-of-6 overall, collecting seven points and five rebounds.
While it was certainly a more stressful win than head coach Eric Musselman would have preferred to see from his group, it did showcase their ability to find the pathway to victory when three-point shooting goes cold. The Trojans shot 42 free throws in the win, converting on 37 of them (88.1%). Rice and Arenas accounted for 29 of them.
USC will head to Northern California on Wednesday to face the 2-1 Cal Golden Bears in its first official road game of the season. Cal currently leads the all-time series between the two programs 37-30 and has claimed the previous two matchups.
Tipoff is scheduled for 8:00 p.m. PT.